Figure wheeled toy



Mar. 6, 1923. I

w. WH EELOCK FIGURE WHEELED TOY- Fil ed Oct.

20, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 1 IILVJEQTO'R ATTORNEY Mar; 6 1923.

. W WHEELOCK FIGURE WHEELED TOY .Filed Oct. 20, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 aZ/JC/ ATTORNEY 7 M I 'M mvENToR Patented Mar. 6, .1923.

' Ublllf WARREN WHEELOCK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIGURE WHEELED TOY.

Application filed October 20, 1921. Serial No. 508,953.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WARREN WHEELooK, a citizen of the United States, residing at 131 Macdougal Street, in the city, county, and State of Newlork, borough of Manhattan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Figure WVheeled Toys, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings forming a part thereof.

My invention relates generally to toys and particularly to a wheeled figure toy.

It has for its object the provision of a toy representing the figure of the actor known as Charlie Chaplin, and adapted, when operated, to simulate the grotesque gait of said actor. It has for its further object the provision in such a figure toy of wheel-operated means of simple and inexpensive construction, capable of causing the figure to lift its feet alternately, to sway its body and to swing its arms, when the toy is wheeled or drawn along a level surface.

To these ends my invention consists in a toy of the character described, comprising a jointed manikin mounted upon a rolling platform, a pair of vertical guides fixed on said platform and each engaging a leg of said manikin, the said legs being adapted to reciprocate vertically upon said guides; joints between said legs and the trunk of said manikin hinged, pivoted or otherwise articulated, to permit lateral swaying of said trunk; a pair of wheels and an axle therebetween adapted to support said platform; a pair of cams upon said axle adapted to project through an opening in'said platform, the high points of said cams being mutually oppositely disposed, each cam being adapted to engage a leg of said manikin, whereby the successive engagements of the came with the legs causes the alternate lifting and lowering of the legs vertically and the trunk member to move alternately in 0pposite directions, in simulation of the gait of the actor known as Charlie Chaplin.

As will be understood, my invention may be embodied in any suitable'material. Preferably it is shown as of wood, but obviously may be constructed by casting from metal, moulding or modeling from plastics, or stamping from sheet metal. When made in the preferred form selected for illustration, the swaying of the body is dependent upon affording room for play of the tops of the leg membersinwardly upon their hinges.

Figure 4 is a detail view of the figure-actuating cams. Figure 5 is a detail of the articulation of a leg member, and Figure 6 is a like detail of an alternative construction of this joint.

Like reference numerals indicate the like parts throughout these several figures, in which 1 is a platform having the shaft 2 j ournaled in the bearing blocks 3'and termi- V nat-ed by squared hubs 4 for the wheels 5, which are preferably tired with a frictional covering 6. A third wheel 7 may be used to preserve the level of the platform, or a fourth wheel, not shown, if so desired. Centrally located on the shaft are two cam wheels 8 and 9, having their high sides oppositely disposed. A central aperture 10 in the platform registers with'said cams whose high sides are adapted to project above the level of the platform. Adjacent the aperture and on either side thereof are the vertical pins 11, 12, constituting guides adapted to register with holes in the feet of the figure, as indicated in dotted outline in Figure 1. These holes extend into the leg members 13, 14, and the pins extend into the holes to such height as is necessary to support the figure in vertical position. The pins fit loosely in the holes so as to permit free play of the figure thereon. Each leg element of the figure terminates at its upper end in an edge 15 from which the inner top side 16 of the leg slopes away in a downwardly direo tion. The body portion 17 of the figure is cut away at the lower front thereof to a depth equal to the depth of the leg members, the cut-away portion affording a recess having its two upper sides meeting at an obtuse angle and its outer edges registering with the edges of the leg members, these edges being suitably joined as by the strap hinges 18. The top inner sides of the leg members meet the lower sides of the body portion at acute angles. forming the said recess, substantially as shown. It will be noted that the axes ,upon which the leg members turn are parallel with each other and are below the line of intersection of the planes oi the cut-away portions of the body, which line of intersection is parallel with said axes and that said axes are above the planes or the cut-away portions of the leg members, and that the line of intersection of the extensions of the latter planes is parallel with said axes. Arms are hinged at the shoulders to the body by flaps, permitting the arins to swing horizontally.

The operation of the toy is as follows: When the wheeled platform is pushed or drawn over a level surface, the wheels rotate the cams which alternately engage the feet, causing the engaged member to rise upon the guide to the height of the cam. The raising of the leg causes the body to tilt, the hinge of the engaged member closing and the hinge of the other member open-- ing, the body of u ttfigm-e tilting laterally upon the hinge o f the stationary leg. As the cams alternately engage the feet, the legs alternately lift and lower as the high points of their respective aims are passed, and the body alternately sways back and forth. the arms swinging on their respective hinges as the body leans to one side or the other.

In the alternative form shown in Figure (5, also adapted to wood construction, the hinges are replaced by headed pivot pins 19 extending through holes in the leg members and fixed in the body portion, affording, the like play relatively between the legs and body. Other means of articulation adapted to the material employed will readi'ly suggest themselves vto the skilled mechanic. The essential feature of such jointing is that the fulora of the body shall be as widely separated as possible consistent with the contour oi the figure, and to this end that the outer top edges of the leg members are to be associated with the outer bottom edges ofthe body portion, whereby tbemaximum lateral sway of the body portion relatively. to the members is secured. I i

.Having thus described my invention, 1 claim;

1. toy of the character described comprisingiajointed manikin mounted upon a wheeled platform, a pair of vertical guides fixed on said platform and each. e' 1iga-ging a leg oi said man'kin, the said legs being adapted to reoiprooate vertically upon said guides; articulations between saidlegs and the trunk of said manikin adapted to per mit maximum lateral swaying of said trunk a pair of wheels and an axle therebetween adapted to support said platform, a pair of cams upon said axle adapted to project through an opening in said platform, the high points oi? said cams being mutually oppositely disposed, each cam being adapted to engage a leg of said manikin whereby the successive engagements of the cams with the legs causethe alternate lifting and lowering of the legs vertically and the trunk member to move alternately in opposite directions.

2. A toy of the character described comprising a jointed manikin mounted upon a wheeled platform, a pair of vertical guides fixed on said platform and each engaging a leg of said manikin, the said legs being adapted to reciprocate vertically upon said 'uides' 'oints between said le s and the z; I a 23 trunk of said manikin hinged to permit lateral swaying of said trunk; a pair of wheels and an axle therebetween adapted to support said platform, a pair oi. cams upon said axle adapted to project through an opening in said platform, the high points of said cams being mutually oppositely disposed, each cam being adapted to engage a leg of said manikin whereby the successive engagements of the cams'with the legs cause the alternate lifting and lowering of the legs vertically and the trunk member to move alternately in opposite directions.

8. A toy ofthe character described comprising manikinhaving abody member and two leg members hinged thereto, the axes of saidhinges being parallel, the body member being cut away upon planes intersecting above the level of the axes of said hinges, the line of their intersection being parallel to said axes, the leg members being cut away upon planes whose extensions intersectupon a line below the axes of said hinges and parallel to said axes; a wheeled )lat:torm, a pair of vertical guides thereon adapted to support said manikin, the said. guides fitting loosely within apertures in said leg members and means operatively associated with the wheels of said platform and consisting of a pair of cams each adapted to engage a legmember and to cause the engaged member to reciprocate upon its associated guide, ui mutually timed relation.

WARREN wiiiin'iioon. 

